The Legend of Kyoshi
by jadestonewolf
Summary: Kyoshi knows not of her true destiny, but will she be able to understand the workings of the world when she discovers it? She is destined for greatness, one of the Avatars that has truly left her mark on the world. The Avatars to come have large shoes to fill, literally. A take on Avatar Kyoshi from Avatar the Last Airbender and the Legend of Korra series.
1. Chapter 1

Book one: Fortitude

Chapter one: Unexpected Love

"It's not about strength; think of the fan as an extension of your arm," Elka addressed as Kyoshi swung her fan through the air with too much force, causing it to fling out of her hand, soar out the window, and nail a tree outside. Leaves fluttered to the ground, angering Elka's ostrich horse so that he huffed, shaking his head to rid himself of the unpleasant surprise. Scoffing, Kyoshi stomped outside to retrieved the fan.

"I'm never going to get this right!" she yelled, flailing her arms in exasperation.

"You won't if you think down upon yourself!" Elka's sweet voice called after her.

When Kyoshi reentered the training room, Elka evaluate her, probably deciding if she was worth it to train or not. Kyoshi expected disappointment resulting from her numerous failed attempts, but instead Elka smiled softly and motioned for her to try again.

"Let me revise my explanation," the teacher stated, pondering her next move. With her slender hands held in a defensive position, she demanded, "Strike me."

Kyoshi stared at her for a minute, befuddled. She had only been training with Elka for a little over a week, and that week has been spent learning the forms, breathing exercises, and conditioning. She figured actual sparring would come much later. And besides, earthbending took precedence over fan training any day.

Elka said, "Go on, I'm waiting."

Frowning, Kyoshi re-opened the fan and swiped it directly at her face, but before she could even get close to landing a blow, Elka jammed her own fan into Kyoshi's shoulder. Her stunned arm failed to hold on, resulting in the fan slipping from her hand once more. Elka then jabbed her forearm into Kyoshi's collarbone, causing her to fall the floor with an _umpf!_

As Kyoshi glared at her, she simply smiled, explaining, "The point is to use your opponent's force against them for your own benefit. Being a woman, you may run into men that are much stronger than you."

Kyoshi growled, "So what if they're men!? I should be able to match them." She clambered onto her feet as quickly as she could, nearly tumbling forward.

Elka chuckled at her mannerisms and stated, "Looks like we need to work on your balance as well."

She huffed, and stalked over to where her fan lay, half open, offended at her own failure.

"We shall continue later," Elka said, knowledge sparkling in her peridot colored eyes.

Kyoshi hastily thanked her and stalked out the door, ready to wear off some steam with earthbending.

"Oh, and Kyoshi?!" she called, "Don't forget to practice on your own time."

Kyoshi waved to show that she heard, but continued making her way down the path to her home. She walked, pondering what Elka had said. _Why should men have to be superior? I am just as capable being a fifteen-year-old girl to do whatever I please as any other male could._ It displeased her that men were chosen for the harder tasks and protection. It was idiotic really. Intelligence was where true power came from, but if she had to spend every day of her life training to take down any man that tried to rule over her, she would.

As Kyoshi lumbered through the dirt, she heard something rustling in bushes. Opening her fans, and standing in a defense position, she stood still, but nothing appeared. After a few moments, she decided it was just her imagination and moved on.

Finally, she approached her home located on the edge of a small village under fifty miles from Ba Sing Se. Her house sat on a hill, and on a clear day, one could just make out the outer wall cutting through the grey hills. The village was quiet and peaceful, away from the bustle of city imports and high trafficked areas.

Eager to change out of her silk training robe, Kyoshi scurried into the house to the welcoming smell of her mother's Jasmine tea and roasting chicken. Her mother was a wonderful cook who appreciated the culinary arts that hailed from the Earth Kingdom. She grew a beautiful garden full of fruits, vegetables, and exotic tea leaves. They owned quite a few chickens and a pair of ornery ostrich horses. They were not rich, yet well off.

"Smells good mom,"Kyoshi said, flying past her mother into her room. There, she threw on an old, tattered, green tunic and a pair of brown leggings, and tied her brunette hair into a bun. Her light green eyes scanned over herself, and after her own approval, she left her discarded training kimono and fans, and skipped back into the kitchen.

"When will dinner be ready?" she asked before her mother could ask how training went. After all, it was her mother's idea to train with Elka. She thought Kyoshi needed something to balance out earthbending's "strength and force" with something more "calming and lady-like". Kyoshi didn't get it really.

"In about an hour or so," her mother replied, turning the chicken around and around on its roasting stick, flames licking its underside.

"Perfect."

Before her mother could add to the conversation, Kyoshi leapt outside to practice her favorite thing in the world. Under the instruction of her earthbending teacher, Shea Yu, a man that knew only half-a-master's-worth, Kyoshi was suppose to work on stances and breathing exercises for the first quarter of the lesson to establish balance and awareness. Today, she decided to cut it short by a few minutes or so and began to use a sturdy oak for target practice. The deeper the hole in the tree became without widening, the better. She did well for a while, but after another half an hour or so, the growing hole was widening more than boring straight through, and her breathing was becoming a bit raggedy.

Frustrated, Kyoshi made herself a smooth earth-chair and took a break. Beads of sweat made moist paths down the sides of her temples, carving hard work's signature into her face.

_Why am I so tired so soon? Maybe I need to train more with increased intensity._

Before Kyoshi could do anything more, she heard her mother calling from the inside of the abode. Kyoshi ran inside to help set the table, and right as she set the last plate in its place, her father walked through the door, returning from his job in the coal mine.

"How are my two girls today?" he called.

"Wonderful!" her mother trilled like a hummingjay as she set the chicken inside the triangle of plates, but Kyoshi didn't respond. Her father wiped the coal dust onto his already filthy pants and sat next to her. Kyoshi didn't make eye contact but listened as her parents rambled on about nothing.

Her mother asked tentatively, "So, how was work, my dear?"

"Alright. I could use some tea right about now," he demanded right as she was about to sit, though well-trained as she was, she forced herself back to her feet and immediately poured him a cup.

Kyoshi hissed, "The kettle was within reach, father."

"What was that?" he growled, bushy eyebrows arching in challenge.

"Nothing," she mumbled.

"Hm?"

"Nothing!"

"Oh good."

Kyoshi looked into her mother's eyes, for a frightened warning tried to silence her daughter. Kyoshi decided to let it go… for now. Her father never used to be this way, but over the years, he became hardened by years of not getting what he wanted: a son. He need not even explain this to her, for his treatment towards Kyoshi spoke louder than a million words. They tried to have another child, but were never blessed with another. Her mother, of course, was to blame for this, for my father thought himself perfect. Kyoshi had wasted years trying to prove to him she was as good as any boy, but he never looked at her with any type of pride. Now he usually spent his time bossing around his wife and mostly ignoring his daughter, except in front of others they were to show no sort of trouble, creating an illusion of the ideal family life. Her father wanted to make it look like he had everything he wanted for the sake of the envy of others.

The rest of their dinner was rather silent save for her father barking at her mother to slice his meat for him because he was too busy buttering a biscuit, and complaining the tea was too flat, meat too dry. Unable to take it anymore, Kyoshi took my plate outside to finish her meal in peace. Kyoshi thought her mother was too gentle to stand up for herself, partly because even she blamed herself for every mistake made in both her and her husband's life. The more Kyoshi said, the more they were both abused, so leaving the situation all together was a better choice.

As Kyoshi chewed her meat angrily, she heard another rustling noise coming from the undergrowth in her mother's garden. Peering into the leaves, a tiny pink nose with wispy tendrils on the tip poked out at her, sniffing. She carefully stood up, clutching her plate. The sniffing became more intense, until an eyeless face appeared. Never having seen such a thing before, Kyoshi tensed, but it seemed unafraid of her and began to lumber forward. It was only about as tall as the middle of her shin with a long, brown body streaked in black markings and a rather fluffy dog-like tail. It hobbled just within kicking distance, and "looked" up at Kyoshi, or whatever it was doing, and continued sniffing loudly. A strange warm feeling in the pit of her stomach caused Kyoshi to offer a piece of chicken to the pathetic looking fluffball; in response, it scratched at its nose with rather large claws and then did something completely unexpected. A long, whip-like tongue lashed out at me and sliced a small cut into Kyoshi's wrist, causing the hunk of meat to fall to the ground. An embarrassing yelp echoed from Kyoshi's mouth and fell onto her rear, literally stunned, for all movement of the chicken-holding arm ceased. It didn't hurt much, but a numbing sensation spread through it and stopped at the shoulder, weakening her arm. Before Kyoshi could react any further, the little brown beast devoured the chicken and waddled over to her, sticking its face under her numb arm, a strange, wimpy growl-purr emanating from its throat.

Hesitant at first, Kyoshi was frozen in place, but since it didn't seem to want to harm her any further, she carefully patted its shoulder with the other hand, causing the purring to intensify. Kyoshi dared to offer it the rest of her meat, and this time it simply snatched it away with razor teeth, then cuddled her some more.

"What are you?" she wondered.

Suddenly, Kyoshi heard a crash come from the kitchen, causing both her and the homely beast to jump.

"Stay here," she commanded, and ran into the house, shutting the door in its eyeless face.

Kyoshi walked in on a broken tea pot shattered all over the floor, her father's hand poised over my mother, ready to strike.

"STOP!" she screamed, slamming herself into him.

They wrestled to the floor, rolling around in the shards of clay and spilt tea. Kyoshi landed on his left side and beat her fists into his back and jaw, hot, molten anger rising in her face and ears. He thrust his hand into her face, alleviating most of the blows, and shoved her off of him. But before he could take the offensive, Kyoshi stumbled onto her feet and stood, hands poised in defense.

A deep, bellowing laugh shook her pride, as he hollered, "Foolish girl, those dance lessons with Elka will get you nowhere. You will never be able to hold your own against a man."

He feinted a blow to the left, and as Kyoshi reached to block it, struck her across the face from the right. Stars fluttered through her vision and she landed hard on the arm that was mostly numb from the toxins the little brown beast had injected into it. Before she could get up again, he jabbed his foot into her ribs, causing something to crack ominously, and through her blurry vision, she watch him turn back to his cowering wife. Grabbing a fistful of her hair, he swung her to the floor, nearly rubbing her nose in the tea.

"Now clean up this mess," he commanded, "before I mop it up with your face!"

He released her, and she began to wipe at it pathetically with her own tattered apron. Turning to Kyoshi, he said, "Challenge me again, and my foot will aim right for the teeth next time. I'm going to bed."

He stalked off casually. As Kyoshi tried to sit up, searing pain shot through her side. Her mother refused to look at her, continuing to clean the floor, barely achieving anything in the process. Kyoshi had had enough. Painfully, she stood, and strode over to the door. But before she reached for the knob, she stated, "I'm leaving, whether you come with or not."

"I can't," her mother sobbed, her tears adding to the liquid on the floor. "He will come after me."

"Well he couldn't care less about me," Kyoshi hissed and left, slamming the door, a spidery crack in the glass mimicking her anger.

Kyoshi began to run, no where in particular, just away. She ran, and ran, and ran, until a fire burned up her damaged rib cage. Finally, she collapsed under a low tree and began to weep for the first time in a very, very long time.

Kyoshi lied like that for hours until a strange noise brought her back to reality. It was the awkward snuffling the little brown beast made as it lumbered over to her, sniffing every twig she had snapped. As it had evidently found her at last, it excitedly wobbled over to her and kept sniffing more intensely. A long tongue slithered slower this time and carefully flickered over her exposed side. Kyoshi was too exhausted to care. Tiny stinging sensations were quickly accompanied by a gentle numbness that eased the pain. She looked at the lame little thing, and whispered a thank you. It stayed with her the rest of the night, the only sense of comfort she had had in a very long time.


	2. Chapter 2

Book one: Fortitude

Chapter two: The Shirshu

Kyoshi awoke with the coming dawn, an ache in her head that racked her thoughts. After a few moments, she began to recall what had happened the night before, and with the recollection came a stinging pain in her side that hurt when she moved. Slowly, she stood to regain her bearings and swiped at the gathered dust on her clothes. As she ran her fingers through her messy hair, she realized she had traveled about a mile from her home, for a faint outline of the village jutted out against the rising sun. Breathing a sigh of frustration with a tinge of guilt, Kyoshi decided to make her way homeward, at least to check on her mother.

After about ten minutes or so of traveling, she began to feel like something was forgotten and soon her thoughts were answered by another strange scuffling noise. The little brown beast from the evening before sniffed at the ground until it bumped directly into her feet. Then, with uncontainable excitement, tore at her leggings with its tiny claws, snagging the material.

"Now what do you want?" Kyoshi inquired, deciding to carefully pick it up. It allowed her to do so and snuggled into her arms, comfortably kneading her with its claws, tail twitching. When Kyoshi had walked about halfway to her home, it seemed to have fallen asleep. A small smile cracked across her lips.

As she carried on, she decided to at least enjoy her walked as much as possible. The fresh air slowly began to clear her thoughts, a trickle of serenity washing away some of the diseased feelings. Beautiful snapdaisies attracted little, purple butterflies that licked at its nectar, and with each bird call, the little beast in Kyoshi's arms twitched, seeming to hear from its dreams. Kyoshi had sometimes wished she could be another creature, something unintelligent, simple, carefree. It would solve a multitude of problems.

Finally the girl reached her home, and slightly embarrassed about running away, tentatively stepped inside the front door. The house was dead silent except for the sizzling of coals inside the stove. The wood floor was still slightly damp where the tea had been spilt, yet most of the clay shards were gone. Kyoshi decided to check the bedroom first, but her mother was not there.

"Mother?" she called. No reply. Kyoshi scoured the rest of the rooms with no avail. Panic set in as she called out again, slightly disturbing the snoozing animal in her arms. Finally, she stopped in the dining room and stared at the back door with damaged glass. There was one place left she could check. Kyoshi dashed into the garden, her heart beating painfully against the damaged rib, and sure enough, a dainty figure sat, pulling out weeds from the vegetables.

"Mom!" she called and stood behind the middle aged woman feeling a wave of relief. "Are you alright? Dad went to work, right?"

There was no response besides the rhythmic rustling in the dirt as she continued to dig.

"Mom?" Kyoshi said with a pang of nerves, taking a step closer.

Suddenly, her mother's strokes became less coordinated and Kyoshi could her a soft sniffling. Kyoshi knelt down next to her, and after carefully setting down the sleeping beast in a patch of carrot tomatoes, gently turned her mother's shoulders so that she faced her. Tears left streaks in the garden dust on her face, and she threw her arms around her daughter, weeping uncontrollably.

"Did he hurt you anymore?" Kyoshi demanded.

A slight shake of her mother's head told her it hadn't gotten any worse, but in the safety of her husband's absence, she was able to cry freely.

Kyoshi said, "I'm sorry I left you behind last night. I was just so angry."

After a few more moments, they parted the embrace, and Kyoshi used the sleeve of her tunic to wipe away the dirty smudges on her mother's face, saying, "Let's go inside."

As they stood up, another wave of pain shot up Kyoshi's side, and she groaned, clutching the sore spot. Her mother's eyes widened with worry, and she said, "We should get you to Kariki, the village healer."

Kyoshi nodded, but replied, "I have a feeling we won't be traveling alone, however."

"Whatever do you mean?" she said, wiping a tear away, finally in control of herself.

Kyoshi motioned to drowsy, brown fuzz that finally awoke, yet still lying on its back, yawned pathetically and scratched its nose.

"What is that thing?" she asked.

Kyoshi shrugged, "Not sure, but it seems to like me."

The thing flipped over, wandered to Kyoshi's mother, and sniffed, wagging its tail in approval, then lumbered back over to Kyoshi. She carefully bent over to pick it up, and the three of them headed down the road to Kariki's healing hut.

The walk was mostly silent, yet relaxed. Kyoshi could feel her waves of relief emanating from her mother's mannerisms. With Kyoshi's father gone, they were able to express whatever feeling, thought, or gesture they wanted, free of judgement. The restrictions always weighed on their every movement under his watchful eye; nothing traveled past him.

Once they arrived, Kyoshi knocked on the door. A little, old lady answered the door moments later, exclaiming, "Kyoshi! Lin Shay! I haven't seen you two in quite some time! What brings you here? Come in! Come in! And bring your shirshu in as well." Kariki turned around to wander back through the hut.

"Shirshu?" Kyoshi wondered. "Is that what this thing is?" She looked down at the bundle of tawny fur in her arms. Her mother shrugged.

The trio trudged in after Kariki, taking in the sight of her humble abode. The old woman led them to a room in the rear of the house; it was a circular space full of herbs and in the center was a shallow basin of water. Kariki was the only water bender in Harach, the village Kyoshi lived in. Her and her husband, now passed, were originally from the Northern Water Tribe and had loved to travel, finally settling down here as they grew older. Kariki happily tended to anyone who has been injured, and she tends to get mostly miners who have been hurt in the mines where my father works for customers.

Kariki piped up, "So Kyoshi, what's it like being done with all of your schooling?" Kyoshi's schooling took place up until one was between fourteen and sixteen summers old. The children of the Earth Kingdom were mostly taught about their proud heritage, proper language, and some mathematics. If one's parents could afford, one could move on to higher subjects of sciences and philosophy. Kyoshi's parents weren't quite wealthy enough, nor did she actually care. The young fighter would rather join the military.

Kyoshi replied, "Good. I finally get to focus solely on training with Shea Yu and Elka-"

"Did you get good marks in school?" she chittered.

"Yes I suppose s-"

"Miss any friends?"

Kyoshi huffed, "No not really, not many people like me or-"

"WHAT?! Not even a boyfriend?"

"What? No!"

Kariki chuckled, "Oh, come now. We all know that isn't true. Oh I remember my days as a teen, chasing boys while other boys chased me. The Northern Water Tribe was full of many striking young men at that time. So many options!"

Kyoshi turned and glared at her mother as if to say _do something._ Her mother shrugged then said, "Kariki, the reason we came is Kyoshi got hurt… in a training accident. Do you think you could help her?"

Kariki chatted on, "Of course! What seems to be hurting? You have a little bruise on your cheek, but certainly you didn't come for-"

"It's my side. I think I broke a rib," Kyoshi interrupted, carefully setting the bundle of fur at her mother's feet.

"Oh my! Come! Come! Lie in my pool," Kariki squeaked.

Kyoshi strode forward, hoping to avoid anymore of the hyperactive, old woman's conversations. She carefully stepped into the cool liquid and lied on her back, inhaling deeply in preparation of whatever pain may come to the mending of a bone. Never before has Kyoshi injured herself any more than a twisted ankle, but showing pain is not something that appealed to her.

"Now," Kariki instructed more calmly than before, "spread your arms out and relax. Inhale and exhale as evenly as you can. Release yourself."

Kyoshi sighed deeply and snapped her eyes shut, trying to clear her mind. The events of last night were still fresh in her mind; flashes of her mother's weeping face, the pain of lost pride, the lack of her father's remorse, all haunted the corner's of her thoughts. She concentrated, focusing her energy on the swirling pool of water around her, imagining an ocean came to gently caress her in the middle of emptiness. A soft rising and falling of the waves told the story of a young woman who was lost in the world. She felt pressured, angry, and most of all: afraid. A need to be the greatest she could manage burned inside of her ambitions, causing a ripple in the water. The ripple grew larger and larger until a full-blown tidal wave hovered over Kyoshi's unaware subconscious. An older woman stood within the waves; she wore a silk, jade-colored kimono and held golden fans that formed the wave's curvature. Her face was covered in fierce warrior's make-up, but the most shocking aspect of the figure was her eyes. The vehement glow that marked the Avatar State pierced Kyoshi's soul, causing a panicked frenzy to rise within her.

Kyoshi sat straight up, water spattering over Kariki's outstretched arms that were hovering where Kyoshi's injured rib had been seconds ago.

"Are you alright?" Kariki yelped, jumping back a little. "Did I hurt you?"

"No, no. I'm not sure what happened. I-I saw something odd. You didn't hurt me, though." Kyoshi pressed her fingers over the previously damaged area, but barely any pain remained. "Actually, I'm pretty sure it's completely healed. Thank you Kariki."

The old woman stared, befuddled, and said, "Saw something? What-" For once, she stopped herself mid sentence.

Kyoshi muttered, "I'm not actually sure myself. I imagined I was floating in an ocean but some woman in green Kimono was in the Avatar State and water-bent a giant tidal wave with her fans at me…"

Both women stared at her, discombobulated; even Kyoshi had no idea what she had just said.

"Nevermind. Maybe I fell asleep and had a weird dream," she added, trying to fix the awkward silence. "Anyway, thanks again for the healing session." Kyoshi stood rather quickly, feeling renewed, and she wandered over to where her mother stood, holding the brown beast on its back and rubbed its stomach. The fat, fluffed up tail flapped back and forth in appreciation, precipitating a smile on Kyoshi's lips.

Kyoshi turned to Kariki, "What did you say this thing was? A shoo shoo?"

"A shirshu," Kariki corrected, "and it's just a pup. When it gets older, it will be a rather monstrous thing, so beware. Nifty creatures, they are. As you can see, they bear no eyes, but rather 'see' with their noses, making them the best tracking animals in the world. Thier best weapon, however, is their tongue. The tongue is extremely long, and when whipped at prey, stuns or even paralyzes it when the saliva enters the lash wound. Very valuable stuff. I keep a stash to numb the worst of my patients injuries."

Kyoshi thought of the night before and how the shirshu had flicked its tongue over her wound, enabling her to relax.

Kariki continue, "Even as younguns, they can be rather mean, unless tamed or born into captivity."

"It seems docile enough," Kyoshi's mother said, smiling down at the elated beast.

"She's quite the odd one," Kariki cooed.

"She?" Kyoshi wondered.

Kariki replied, "Looks like it."

Kyoshi trusted her enough and decided not to check for herself. She change the subject with, "You said she's just a baby? What about the mother? Will she, I don't know, come back for her baby?"

"Being the best trackers in the world, if the mother hasn't come by now, I wouldn't suspect it would be an issue."

Kyoshi sighed in relief, yet shuddered a little at the thought of a giant, vicious, shirshu standing over her pup.

Wrapping things up, Kyoshi's mother stepped forward with two silver pieces saying, "Thank you for your service." Kyoshi nodded in agreement, and both of them bowed.

Kariki bowed in return and said, "Anytime my dears. Let me know if you decided to tell me who that boyfriend is of yours!"

Kyoshi frowned, tensing up more than ever. "I DON'T HAVE A BOYFRIEND!"

Kariki winked right before Kyoshi stomped out, her mother close behind.

Kyoshi's mother laughed, "You know, she's only pulling your leg."

"I don't like having my leg tugged upon," the teen growled back.

Her mother simply chuckled again and handed the shirshu to Kyoshi. "What are you going to name her?"

"You're letting me keep her?"

"Why not?"

"I don't know, being a dangerous animal with a potential mother tracking our every move, I just thought it would be an issue, and if dad finds out-"

"Kariki said the mother would have done something by now, and your father won't find out." A twinkle of rebellion glimmered in her gaze, causing Kyoshi to grin. Her mother was a quite, gentle, loving sort of spirit, but even though Kyoshi got a justified temperament from her father, she received the cleverness gene from her mother. However, it was truly sad that with all of the mischief in the world, her mother was too afraid to use it. She was too scared of her own husband, and though she stilled loved him, or at least the man he used to be, Kyoshi could tell her mother wanted to be away from him, at least for a while.

"Well," Kyoshi pondered, "How about Kaiju?"

"I think that fits." Kyoshi's mother put her arm around her daughter whom was inches taller, resembling her father's build, yet with feminine slightness. Words could not express the love Kyoshi's mother felt for her daughter, from big feet to her brash temperament. She was adorable in a awkward way, tough in a girly sense-though she would refuse to admit it-, and beautiful in every form, even if she did not see it. In other words, perfect.

Later that night, Kyoshi's father romped through the door and began barking orders at his wife. Kyoshi decided to ignore him this time, unless it got violent again, which thankfully, it didn't. They ate rather peacefully, and all the while Kyoshi thought of the little shirshu hiding in the garden outside. Eventually, she wandered outside with a large strip of roast duck and tossed it directly in front of the tomato-carrots. A slimy, pink tongue snatched it up, and out emerged Kaiju, elated to see her new master. Kyoshi rubbed the fluff ball everywhere until Kaiju almost passed out from exuberance, quite an amazing feat really.

"You stay here!" Kyoshi demanded in a hushed voice. "Wake my father and you'll be dead for sure!"

Kaiju flipped over onto her feet and bounced around, snarling playfully. Her tongue flickered out and accidentally slashed the top of Kyoshi's foot, causing her to tumbled backwards, again. Kaiju immediately stopped flouncing and scrambled to her master's aid. Apologetic whimpers and cuddles tried to regain Kyoshi's trust.

Kyoshi laughed, "It's okay! I'm fine! You didn't mean to. Now go to bed!"

Kaiju's mood improved a little, but her steps were guilty ones as she disappeared into the shrubbery.

Kyoshi got up and limped off to bed, foot nearly useless. With healed injuries and a less intense evening, she could say the day went rather well, and in her dreams, she saw little shirshus dance around happily, and a vague shadow of the woman in war paint.

**A/N: I decided to change my uploading date to Friday instead of Monday. Monday is awkward and everyone hates it anyway haha. It just seems more appropriate to do it on Friday, I suppose. I hope you enjoyed chapter two! It's not very exciting, but important. Thanks for reading! ONTO CHAPTER THREE WEEEEE! XD**


	3. Chapter 3

Book One: Fortitude

Chapter Three: Ai Emi

Kyoshi awoke at sunrise, a warm breeze arousing her senses. She lept out of bed, ready to conquer the day with earthbending. Now that her side was his healed, missing another day of training wouldn't be a problem. Kyoshi pulled on her green, silk, training clothes,and stretched immensely, bending from a standing position into a backwards arch with her hands on the floor behind her. Not even a twinge of pain could be detected anywhere around her previously damaged rib. She continued to do many other stretches until her body was nimble enough to chuck some rocks with Shea Yu.

Kyoshi put on a pair of sandals that laced tightly around her calves, grabbed her bag that contained her fans, and before she exited the house, peeked into her mother's room to see the rising and falling of a sleepy silhouet. Smiling at her mother's peace, the youth slipped out into the morning air.

As she walked, Kyoshi tied her hair into a long, dark braid so that it would keep out of the way. Almost as if on cue, the auburn bushes parted and Kaiju trotted out happily wagging her tail.

"Morning," Kyoshi stated.

Kaiju gurgled in response, and with a great lunge lept up at Kyoshi's braid, ensnaring it in her claws.

"Ow! Ow! OW!" Kyoshi yelped, ripping Kaiju's claws from her locks. The little monster whimpered an apology, and with a slim smirk of forgiveness, Kyoshi lifted the imp into her arms and carried her along the dusty path to Shea Yu's house.

The breeze dusted off the expanse of trees hovering behind the homes of the residents in the village. All was quiet except for a small, elderly woman who feebly stretched a hand in greeting as she swept her porch. Kyoshi awkwardly smiled back, unsure of how to return the warmth of the smile on the little woman's face that could rival any summer's day. Even though the village was small and personal, Kyoshi did not know the woman. The youth wasn't much of the social type.

Shea Yu's house was just over the hill. Kyoshi quickly thought of an explanation for her absence the day before, but nothing clever came to mind. Too soon, she found herself at his doorstep, and before she could even knock, Shea Yu swung open the door, an over-enthusiastic expression on his face.

"Kyoshi! Come in! And bring your weird little thing too!" He exclaimed, clapping his hands together. Shea Yu was a self-taught earthbender and also the only adult one in Harach, hence, the only available source of learning. He wasn't terrible, but Kyoshi had a feeling his students would soon reach his level of 'expertise' after only a few months of training. Kyoshi would have loved to have learned when she was younger, but there was no available teacher in her little village, and her family couldn't afford to travel to Ba Sing Se every day, nor would it make any sense. Kyoshi had discovered her gift at about age nine or so and tried to teach herself, but it wasn't easy at all. She leapt for joy when she discovered Shea Yu had moved in last winter. It was now mid summer, and Kyoshi was learning fast.

Shea Yu led her to his backyard, or what he referred to as the 'training courtyard.' Three other young benders were practicing simple techniques for warming up. Kyoshi went to join them, but Shea Yu interrogated her first.

"Where were you yesterday?" he asked, no sign of hostility in his voice whatsoever.

"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't come," Kyoshi replied, "I was… needed at home. My mother wasn't feeling well, but she's better now."

"Oh good! Well you're here now and that's all that matters right?"

Kyoshi nodded awkwardly; he seemed to believe her at least. She made her way over to the other students, protruding confidence on the outside, though something inside of her was nervous, for whatever reason. Before stood two pathetic excuses for earthbenders - and one actual competitor.

Hana, a winy, stuck-up, girl about thirteen-summers-old hated being here. She was too worried about getting hurt and dirty more than she cared about her skill. She claims she's really trying, but Kyoshi believed she does this for her father's sake, for Kyoshi had heard Hana hint enough that her father forced her to be here. She never wanted to be an earthbender; according to the snooty teen, living in Ba Sing Se as the queen's seamstress was her dream. Kyoshi was disgusted by the thought.

The other sad excuse was Chun Hee, a super awkward, scrawny, weakling who tried his hardest, but could never get anything right. The only fight Kyoshi ever had with him was fighting herself not to laugh as she parried all of his blows. No matter how hard he tried, the boy of fourteen years normally ended up having to go straight to Kariki with a broken hand or nose or knee. Shea Yu kept an emergency, cushioned wagon pulled by an ostrich horse that literally knew its way to Kariki's so Shea Yu didn't have to take Chun Hee there himself.

Finally, the last student, Jae, was about Kyoshi's age and also her arch rival. He knew everything she did, if not a little more, and practiced just as much. Every day spent at Shea Yu's, Kyoshi's hatred deepened for him more and more, until mere eye contact caused her blood to sizzle. He was also flat out nasty, though Shea Yu never called him out for disrespect, even if his own student was spoiling the teacher's name. Though she hated to admit it, upstaging Jae may have been the source of her nerves.

As she neared them, Jae set down the large boulder he was holding and bellowed a deep bellied-laugh. "What is that stupid thing? You bring your mother with you? If not, I'm sure she's just as handsome."

Kaiju snarled, and Kyoshi had to restrain from doing the same. She simply said, "No, I thought it was your twin, so I decided to return it to you before you started to worry."

Jae huffed, and strode over to Chun Hee to criticize his poor stance as the skinny kid tried to lift the same rock Jae had been moments before.

"Well whatever that thing is, it's disgusting," a nasally call came from the direction of Hana, whom was sitting a ways away, inspecting her perfect fingernails.

Taking a deep breath to prepare to deal with the gang of losers, Kyoshi gently set Kaiju down and said, "Now go lie down somewhere okay? I'll call you when it's time to go."

The shirshu sniffed the air and trotted off to a shady tree. Once she lied down, her nose twitched periodically, smelling for any signs of danger, particularly fear from her master. As of now, only a faint trace was attempting to hide under a layer of false confidence.

"Now students!" Shea Yu called as Kyoshi tossed her bag off to the side, "Let's get warmed up with one hundred rock-jacks seven feet in diameter and only go about twenty feet high. If you go too high you could-"

Before he could finish, Kyoshi and Jae began the simple exercise. Rock-jacks were like jumping jacks except slower. The difference was as one spreads his/her feet apart, the person also uses his/her arms to raise a twenty foot pillar into the air that was exactly seven feet in circumference, and as one would straighten out the stance, he/she would then force the pillar back into the ground until it was completely even with the surface. It took a lot of coordination, and the more accurate one was, the more it showed in skill.

Chun Hee slowly started to work at it, getting up to ten feet, then fifteen, then twenty, but soon, his arms grew tired and his pillar tilted to one side as he tried to raise it, causing him to fall to the ground, cracking his elbow. He groaned and Shea Yu helped him to his feet, taking him straight to the ostrich horse outside, whom was already excited to leave.

"Ha ha ha!" Jae called, not even breaking concentration. "Didn't even make it past the warm up today!" Kyoshi frowned, feeling a bit sorry for Chun Hee, but was soon preoccupied again with reaching one hundred before Jae.

As the two neared forty, Shea Yu came back in and tried to get Hana to join them.

"Please?" he pleaded, "Warming up is essential!"

"It's too hot today," Hana wined, "and I'm sweating like a pig."

Desperate to get her to do at least _something, _Shea Yu began to, once again, fret over the possibility of losing a student. Her father was paying hard-earned money for Hana to be there, and if he wasn't pleased with her results, he could pull his daughter out of lessons. No students, meant no money, and Shea Yu needed money.

Shea Yu tried to reason with her, "You have to get in shape if you want to be at your peak with your earthbending skills!"

"Who says I even want to 'be at my peak!'" she shot back.

"Fine. At least do twenty of them at ten feet high?"

With a large eye roll, the girl strutted over to a patch of shade, and did about ten of them, barely passing the six foot mark. After her accomplishment, she sat down and began to re-do her braid, claiming it was destroyed. As far as anyone could tell, it looked the same as it had five minutes before. At least she did more of a warm up than she usually does.

_Wasted gift, _Kyoshi thought, but her mind was soon interrupted by Jae who was beginning to rise to thirty feet at a time. Refusing to be outdone, Kyoshi pushed herself harder, ignoring Shea Yu's warning about overexertion or the danger of falling. The two round on eighty rock jacks, then ninety, each time going a little higher than the other, until Jae froze, realizing how high he actually was. Shaking, he fell to his knees, eyes trained on the rather small blob that marked the figure of Shea Yu. He was barely audible as he commanded Jae to slowly lower himself to the ground. Kyoshi rose her pillar to just inches above him, and snickered between pants and she watched Jae's large muscles quiver and deep green eyes fill with fear.

"Looks like... I win," she said through her heavy breathing. "I'm pretty sure we're at one hundred… even. What are… you going to do… now? See you… at the bottom… whenever you feel… like joining me." But before Kyoshi could begin to lower her pillar, she noticed something wasn't quite right within herself. Her vision started to fog at the edges, and her head spun, similar to the effects of two days earlier when she was repetitively throwing rocks at the large tree in her yard.

In his peripheral vision, Jae could see the tall girl stagger until he was soon staring at her figure grow smaller and smaller, an exasperated Shea Yu screaming at Kyoshi. Jae couldn't move, he couldn't talk, he couldn't really hear anymore, he just waited for her to land.

As she fell, Kyoshi instinctively spun so that was falling feet first, and through her blurry vision, saw the ground coming up quickly. Knowing she was milliseconds away from impact, she did the only thing she could: earthbend. Bracing for the anything, she felt for the earth before she even touched it, and as she was sure she was supposed to hit the ground, discovered that she was plummeting through the earth, feet in control of her bending. Kyoshi immediately stuck out her arms and slowly pulled herself to a stop, sweat dripping into her eyes. Limbs like melting butter, she leaned against the wall of the hole, and looked up. She could just make out the shadow of Shea Yu's head peeking over the edge through the tears that began to mingle with the sweat. Forcing them away, she allowed herself to regain her composure, breathing slower and slower until respiration was almost normal again. Tensing her fatigued muscles, she carried herself slowly to the top of the hole until she was nose-to-nose with a frightened Shea Yu.

Kyoshi stood at tall as one could after a near-fatal experience. She was sure her pillar had been at least sixty feet high, and immediately regretted letting her competitive spirit take her so far out of reason. Jae stiffly walked over to the two of them, wide-eyed at sick looking. Kyoshi put on a straight face, and with only a slight stutter said, "S-sorry about that, Shea Yu. I lost my balance."

"I TOLD YOU TWO NOT TO- oh, never mind!" he said storming off into his home. He returned with a pail of water and a ladle, offering it to Kyoshi first, who took a few long draughts, and then handed it to Jae, who rabidly gulped straight from the bucket. Kyoshi couldn't help but feel a little satisfied that he was to piqued. Hana wandered over, looking generally unconcerned as if the whole thing hadn't taken place, and toying with her tawny braid, said, "Shea Yu, do you have a glass? I prefer not sharing my water."

"No," he stated, frowning.

Pouting, Hana turned to walk back to her shade when a high-pitched squeak of disgust came out of her mouth. Kaiju had anxiously wandered over to Kyoshi, for the smell of fear was strongly wafting off of the trainees. She nuzzled Kyoshi's leg, frightened for her new master. Bending to pick up Kaiju, Kyoshi watched as Hana unceremoniously wandered back to the soft grass, proclaiming her desire for a nap.

Fed up and completely stressed out, Shea Yu told the two remaining students that they would be working on breathing exercises for the rest of the session. They both agreed wholeheartedly, especially Kyoshi who had finally realized the source of her failed endurance.

Kyoshi tentatively walked down the path to Elka's home, replaying the scare over and over again in her mind. Kaiju was more alert in her arms this time, restlessly scratching at her nose as the unpleasant scents rolled off of Kyoshi which were mostly fear, fatigue, and a touch of anger.

Soon enough, after setting Kaiju free to roam the bushes, Kyoshi reached Elka's door and knocked. The middle-aged woman came moments later, welcoming her only apprentice into her home.

"How are you today, my dear?" Elka chirped, though she could sense something was off.

Kyoshi immediately gave her the same excuse to why she was absent the day before as she had to Shea Yu.

"Oh, I sure do hope she's feeling better," Elka said, misunderstanding the reason for Kyoshi's lack of confidence. "Well let's take things from the top today. I want you to show me all I have taught you so far, even if you can't remember everything."

Kyoshi nodded and silently unsheathed her fans, going over every form in her head, watching previous images of Elka's original moves. She concentrated, pushing past her tired limbs, and focused on strength, yet more on balance, imagining countering foes' every calculated blow. Her fans spun round and round slicing the invisible enemies to bits.

Elka's eyes widened, impressed with Kyoshi's improvements. "Have you been practicing by yourself?" she asked, breaking Kyoshi's focus.

The young girl stopped. "Not exactly… I'm sorry. I've been working on earthbending more lately."

"Well your moves aren't as forceful as before. I can see you are more concentrated on balance and counterweight."

"Sorry, I guess I'm a bit tired. We went kind of hard at Shea Yu's."

"No, no. That's a good thing. Before you were too focused on hitting and throwing things," Elka chuckled.

"Oh," Kyoshi stated, thinking. She supposed all it took was a little lack of ferocity to understand Elka's teachings. She would have to keep that in mind for future reference.

"Please continue," Elka said.

Kyoshi was rather pleased with herself as she left Elka's with a new understanding. Her near-injury with earthbending had improved her performance in the techniques opposite in nature. _How interesting_, she pondered.

Kaiju followed her on foot this time as they wandered under the midday sun; home was the destination. The little shirshu amused Kyoshi as the fluff sniffed nearly every twig, leaf, and blade of grass, causing her to fall behind and awkwardly flounce faster in order to catch up. Kyoshi was glad the little brown beast found her way into the teen's life. Having an odd, homely animal for a best friend was okay, right?

Suddenly, Kaiju stopped in her tracks under a tall oak and began to growl, noise pointed directly at the inner branches. Kyoshi halted at well, peering into the leaves that shuddered with the gentle breeze. Inside, two sets of eyes peered back.

Kyoshi unsheathed her fans, but was stopped by a female voice that said, "No need."

A tall, slender girl that appeared to be around Kyoshi's age slipped down, landing lightly in front of her. Fierce, crimson eyes studied Kyoshi and Kaiju, sizing them up. She wore a fitted, sleeveless, halter top that came to a halt just above her navel, and black leggings with a skirt-like piece of fabric that hung over one leg, fastened with a gold chain on the opposite hip. A gold-colored headband could be seen across her forehead, the back of the fabric covered by long, tawny hair. The red garbs marked that of the Fire Nation. On her shoulder stood an adorable panda cat, a small, fluffy creature with black patches around its eyes, black ears, and short, stubby, black legs. Its slender, white tail twitched amusingly, the black tip brushing the girl's ear.

Kaiju growled at the sight of the small animal, and the panda cat's response was similar with a hint of a hiss; it swiped its claws, pointed ears bent back defensively.

"And you are…?" Kyoshi said, fans still ready for actions.

"My name's Ai Emi. Nice shirshu," the girl responded casually.

"Well, what do you want?"

"Sheesh, I only wanted to say 'hi,'" Ai Emi snickered, stroking the cat's head to calm it.

Kyoshi didn't respond, only staring back, waiting for a real answer.

Ai Emi rolled her eyes dramatically, "I was watching your show. Nice work training, for it was amusing to watch you almost kill yourself while warming up. Those fans are very droll as well. What are you going to do? Increase the ferocity of my own bending?" She snapped her fingers; a small, orange flame hovered just above her skin.

Kyoshi huffed, "It's an ancient art meant to assist with balance and-"

"Calm yourself. I was only teasing."

Kyoshi finally put away her fans, yet was still angry at the firebender's remarks. She said, "I can show you some real bending, instead of that excuse."

Ai Emi frowned, hissing, "I'm not looking for a fight."

"Then what do you really want? To waste my time?"

"I need a place to stay for a few days. You know of one? And maybe a seamstress while you're at it."

Kyoshi glanced closer at her garments to see they were indeed rather becoming torn and snagged. "Not really. We have an inn, but that costs money."

"Really now?" she retorted with heavy sarcasm. "Well, is there somewhere I can stay for free?"

"Back up that tree." Kyoshi was growing tired of the conversation and started to continue on her way home, but Ai Emi pursued. An angry Kaiju flicked her tongue, targeting the firebender's ankles, but the girl easily sidestepped the shirshu's offensives until she hopped in front of Kyoshi.

"I'm serious," she stated. "I'm almost out of money."

"Ask around town or something."

"Okay, is your house available?"

"No."

She frowned.

"I can't give you any other advice," Kyoshi demanded. "You've come to a small village outside of Ba Sing Se, the capital of the Earth Kingdom. The streets there are much more interesting than the richest person in this town."

"And more dangerous."

"You seem tough enough to handle it."

"Well I'd be more comfortable here," she insisted.

"My home isn't available." Kyoshi attempted to finalize the conversation, but it was futile.

"I didn't mean your home this time," Ai Emi snapped back, then softened a bit. "Is there any place you can think of that someone would be kind enough to take me in for a few nights?"

Kyoshi halted in her steps and stared into the girl's pleading eyes. The panda cat on her shoulder drew her attention toward Kyoshi as well, icy blue eyes boring into her soul. A rumbling purr melted the edges of Kyoshi's heart. Kyoshi picked up Kaiju and said, "Alright! Fine! I think I know of one place, but you may have to work for it."

Kyoshi knocked on the door of the healer's house, and soon, Kariki opened the door, a bit surprised, yet happy to see the two young girls at her doorstep.

"Come in! Come in! What can I do for you?"

They described the situation to the little old woman, and she was ecstatic to have someone to keep her company. Ai Emi seemed rather pleased as well at Kyoshi's choice in hostess.

"As long as you promise to help me organize my spices!" Kariki trilled. Ai Emi nodded happily, relieved to have somewhere to go.

"Can Sooky stay here too?" she pleaded, holding out the stubby, black and white fluff to the aged woman.

"Of course! Let me show you to where you will sleep! And oh! Are you hungry? I'm making roast duck! Are you from the Fire Nation? I hear it's quite a popular dish there! Can you firebend? You could light my stove for me. I'll put on some tea!"

"I better get going home. My mother is expecting me," Kyoshi interrupted the two before she was invited to a tea party of some sort.

"Alright! Say hello to your boyfriend for me!" Kariki called after the young earthbender.

With a holler of annoyance, Kyoshi stormed out of the hut, cackles of laughter caterwauling from behind.

_At least they are enjoying themselves, _she thought.

The mid-afternoon air hummed with insects resting in the sun-burnt grass. Kyoshi was relieved to be away from the random girl, yet a little suspicious of her. Why would a random teen from a different nation need a place to spend the night? Did her parents be rid of her? At the thought of Ai Emi causing trouble, Kyoshi immediately regretted placing her in the little old woman's home.

_There's no going back now. I don't wanna upset either of them; they seemed to really get along. Going back to warn Kariki would be embarrassing and rash. Anyhow, the experienced woman should have realized the circumstances just as much as I have, _Kyoshi compromised with herself.

When Kyoshi arrived home, she immediately placed Kaiju in the garden and went inside to greet her mother. She refused to say anything about training or Ai Emi when her mother asked her how the day had went. Kyoshi's mother had enough to worry about as is, and other's stupidity did not need to be added to her stresses. The events of that day were highly regrettable, and Kyoshi wanted to forget them entirely.

The night was another peaceful one. Kyoshi's mind only trouble her with the thoughts of Ai Emi and the idea of returning to training tomorrow. Hopefully things would go better. In the morning, things were always better.

**Author's Note: Thanks for reading this far! Things will definitely pick up in the next couple of chapters. Right now, exposition for the story is important. I believe this story is meant to start out mostly peacefully until the Avatar is ripped out of her regular life style, so showing what that regular life style is like is important to me. Please let me know what you guys think! I also started a Jadestonewolf fanfiction page on FB if you feel like throwing me a like. Thank you! =^.^=**


	4. Chapter 4

Book One: Fortitude

Chapter Four: Escape

A cold breeze licked at Kyoshi's bare feet, and she awoke with a shiver. The wooden panels of her window banged against the side of the little house with the wind, and a light rain threatened to float into Kyoshi's bedroom. The earthbender dragged herself out of bed to shut the tiny doors that she hadn't opened the evening before.

_The wind must have forced them open,_ Kyoshi concluded, crawling back into bed. It was hours before sunrise, and she was still exhausted from the day before. Luckily, it didn't take long for sleep to take her again, yet she found herself having to wake up a little sooner than she would have appreciated. Her morning routine commenced, and after eating in the kitchen, she went back to snatch her bag before leaving, but as she entered her room, a slender figure stood holding the bag, waiting. Kyoshi had to cover her mouth to keep from screaming, for she did not want to wake her mother. Before her stood Ai Emi, smiling.

"WHAT are you doing here!?" Kyoshi hissed.

"I just wanted to say hi!" she replied mischievously.

"By breaking into my house?"

"I suppose that's what happened, yes."

Kyoshi grabbed for her bag, but the firebender held it out of reach.

"Hold on," Ai Emi stated, fidgeting with her headband. "I honestly just wanted to thank you for finding me a place. I didn't fully express my gratitude to you last night."

Kyoshi paused, still suspicious.

Ai Emi persisted, "Really."

Kyoshi, still unsure, nodded. Ai Emi smiled widely, and she offered the bag to Kyoshi who snatched it back.

"How did you get in here?" Kyoshi demanded.

Ai Emi tossed her head towards the open window.

"You waited here all night for me to wake up?"

"Yep."

"...why? You could have just told me later today."

Ai Emi replied, "I just went for a night stroll and decided to do it this morning. Kariki needs help organizing her spices, so I wanted to speak to you and then be back in time to help."

"And as for sleep?"

"I don't sleep much."

"Uh-huh." They stared at eat other for a moment until Kyoshi realized something. "How did you find me here?"

Ai Emi laughed, "With those giant feet? I could follow you across the entire Earth Kingdom.

Kyoshi shifted her weight uncomfortably, thrusting her hands onto her hips. "Well now that you've said 'thank you,' shouldn't you be getting back to Kariki?"

Ai Emi's smile faded, a little off-put by Kyoshi's abruptness. "I suppose. Thanks again."

The firebender turned around and headed for the window, disappearing with a soft thud on the ground outside. Kyoshi peeked outside to see her off, but she was already gone.

Ai Emi did not stay away for long, however.

The rest of Kyoshi's day was rather normal. Jae was significantly quieter in training, and Kyoshi had an easier time learning new moves from Elka. When Kyoshi arrived home, she immediately went out back to practice breathing, for its significance had greatly increased. Kaiju sat watching, her thick tail swatting at spider flies. An hour or so passed before Kyoshi heard her mother's voice call from within the house.

"Dinner is ready! We are having guests over tonight!" Kyoshi's mother shouted.

Eyes wide, she quickly commanded Kaiju to hide in the garden and ran into the house. Her father was home and sat around the small wooden table with two other figures. Kariki and Ai Emi sat smiling and visiting with Kyoshi's father who had put on his happy act once more. Kyoshi's mother pushed by Kyoshi and set a large platter of meat on the table.

"Come sit, Kyoshi," she beckoned, seating herself next to her husband who casually hung his arm around her. The teen stood still, eyeing Ai Emi suspiciously, who was too intent on a story her father was telling to notice.

"...and when he said, 'I am the true heir to the Northern Water Tribe' I laughed and told him he was nothing but a lowly fisherman from the Fire Nation who was struck in the head by an earthbender. You should have seen the look on his face! It was like I had just killed his pet bear fish," Kyoshi's father bellowed.

Kariki busted out laughing, "Oh Hyo! You meet the oddest people who work in the mines! I can't believe he thought he was from the Northern Water Tribe!"

Kyoshi finally sat, disgusted that Kariki was buying into his act. Kyoshi said, "So… what are you two doing here?"

Kyoshi's father looked irritated, narrowing his eyes at Kyoshi for interrupting his story and interrogating the guests.

Ai Emi spoke up, "We just wanted to drop by and visit!"

"So it was Kyoshi who brought you to Kariki's house?" Kyoshi's mother inquired to Ai Emi who nodded in response.

"Oh yes, Lin Shay. Ai Emi is wonderful to have around."

Ai Emi beamed while Kyoshi's face grew frustrated. Kyoshi didn't know why, but something about Ai Emi was utterly annoying, from her attitude to her headband.

Lin Shay continued, "So Ai Emi, where is it that you are from? Why are you traveling."

There was the slightest hesitation in the firebender's response. She stared intensely at her roast duck, pondering what to say, but before the pause was awkward she said, "I'm actually from the Fire Nation capital. The reason I'm traveling is for personal ambition, I suppose. I left home to travel around for a while. For enlightenment? To find my place in the world? Whatever you want to assume. I just felt like it was… right. My parents and I were never extremely close so it wasn't a huge problem. I just needed some time away."

Lin Shay nodded intensely and Hyo looked thoughtful. Kyoshi ate in silence, observing the other four have a pleasant dinner as if they were one big happy family, one Kyoshi wish was true with her parents alone. When he realized Ai Emi was finished with her story, Kyoshi's father began to spout out multiple stories and her mother nodded and laughed nearly in sync with Kariki. Even though she knew as much about her husband as Kyoshi did, Kyoshi could see that the world had been lifted off her mother's shoulders, so Kyoshi kept quiet for her sake.

Dinner finally came to an end, and as Kariki and Ai Emi hung in the doorway, Kyoshi's father called, "Come and stay whenever you'd like!"

"Really?" Ai Emi asked, "Kyoshi said your house wasn't the best place to stay for long."

Kyoshi's father frowned, eyeing his daughter. He said, "And why would she say that?"

"Not sure. Your place seems super nice! Thanks for dinner!" Ai Emi said as her and Kariki wandered off.

Kyoshi retreated to her room, breath stuck in her throat. Her father would surely be furious. And sure enough, moments later he burst through her door, face as red as a tomato carrot.

"WHAT did you tell her?" he demanded.

"Nothing! I just said Kariki's house was a better option. I thought you'd be mad if I invited someone to stay at our house without your permission." Kyoshi told a sugar-coated version of the truth, but it was still the truth.

"You lying sack of dung!" Kyoshi's father howled, stepping over to her and slapped her across the face before Kyoshi could realize what was happening. Kyoshi stood her ground however, and held up a pair of fists, fuming.

He spat, "You think you can stand up to me again? Remember what happened last time?" He swung close-fisted repeatedly at her face. Kyoshi dodged multiple shots until one hit her right in the eye. She recoiled in pain just for a moment, but then looked to see her mother behind him, holding his right arm.

"Hyo please! She was only looking out for you interest! I assure you she isn't lying!" He turned on her and pushed her to the floor, and for once in Kyoshi's life, she saw a fire in her mother's eyes that meant she had had enough.

Lin Shay swept her husband's feet out from under him and stood once more. Hyo immediately returned to his feet, ready to take down both of them. Kyoshi grabbed her fans from her bed and spun them this way and that as her mother kicked at her husband's knees. Kyoshi's father yelled in anger when he realized he had lost complete control. He lunged directly into his wife, tackling her to the ground before Kyoshi could enter the hall after them. Hyo pinned Lin Shay to the ground, waiting, and as soon as Kyoshi stepped foot into the hall, he allowed Kyoshi to jump on his back. Once her anticipated move followed through, he pushed himself into the wall, sandwiching her. Breathless, Kyoshi watched for a few seconds as her father stood and dragged his wife down the hall by her hair. Lin Shay clawed at him in response, screaming furiously. Kyoshi got up, more slowly this time, and threw her closed fan at his head, but in return, he unexpectedly caught it. Her right eye throbbed as she readied to strike again, but her father yanked her mother to her feet, unsheathed fan poised at her throat.

Kyoshi, unimaginably angry, forced herself to lower her other fan for her mother's best interest. The fan's weren't preferably professional, but they were still sharp enough to do damage.

Hyo glared at his daughter, "This will stop. Now. If either of you stand against me again, I won't hesitate to end you both. I have a good reputation in this village. No one would even think once that I would harm my family. And if they thought I had, they would feel sorry that my wife and daughter were useless idiots. No one would care enough to avenge you," He hissed the last part in Lin Shay's ear as sweat ran down her temple.

Kyoshi couldn't keep herself together. She could feel the blood in her veins burn as angry tears pooled salt in her blackening eye. There was not nearby earth to bend, but something deep inside of her core told her there was more than just earth to bend. The evening sun had completely set, and the full moon outside light the tiny home with such a powerful radiance, it was as if the moon herself whispered in her ear, _bend him._

The blood pounded so loud in Kyoshi's ears that she could barely comprehend the war cry that thundered from her lips. The sound from her vocal chords cut deeply within her throat as she dropped her remaining fan and held out her arms, tensing her hands as if her father's throat was within her grasp. His muscles seized, and he too dropped Kyoshi's fan as well as his wife. His veins burned and it felt as if his bone were bending, but not so much that they broke. Kyoshi whipped her arms to the side, sending her father reeling across the dining room, slamming into the messy table. His control was truly gone, even over himself. His body was slammed into the far wall, and he lied there, unconscious.

Lin Shay stared at her daughter in horror, unsure of what had even taken place, but Kyoshi calmly stated, "We're leaving. Now. Grab whatever belongings you cannot part with, and enough supplies to survive. It's not safe here anymore."

Kyoshi's mother complied, and as Kyoshi stood guard in case her father awoke, her mother was done gather things rather swiftly. The only non-essential item taken was an old family heirloom; it was an old headdress with two golden arches that reminded Kyoshi of her bronze fans. Kyoshi recognized the accessory as one passed down for many years, and was of great importance to her mother.

Kyoshi snatched her fans and ran to the back door. Kaiju was waiting right outside, more worried than ever. She whimpered repetitively as Kyoshi and Lin Shay ran to the ostrich horses. Once the supplies were secure, Kyoshi said, "I know a place we can stay for tonight. Come on Kaiju!"

Kyoshi and her mother rode off into the night while Kaiju galloped after them. The full moon provided plenty of light as the midnight summer's air whipped her hair back. They rode until Kyoshi halted beneath a sheltered tree, the same tree she seeked refuge under just a few nights ago, though it wasn't quite far enough away.

"I say we go a bit farther, just to be safe," Kyoshi stated.

Her mother simply nodded, still in a bit of a numbed state. They rode on for a bit longer until they came to a small forested area, where both women and Kaiju passed out, exhausted. It would take too long to find them in just a few hours, and Kyoshi planned to leave for Ba Sing Se at dawn. The Earth Kingdom city seemed like the perfect place to go, for a large population could hide a couple of strange faces, right?

The dawn wasn't what awoke them, however. Kaiju scratched at Kyoshi's face, whimpering urgently, for something was coming, and coming fast. Kyoshi sat up straight, trying to gain complete consciousness. She silently cursed herself for not thinking of sleeping in shifts, and as she stood tall, gently nudging her mother with her foot to wake up, a team of eel hounds burst through the trees and surrounded them. Atop of the large lizard-dogs rode tall, mean-looking men and women with headbands across each of their foreheads, their figures illuminated by the fading moon.

"What do you want?" Kyoshi demanded, fists raised, ready to bend some earth if needed. Kaiju growled and Lin Shay sat tense in her spot, her eyes glazing over with fear once more.

A bald man who was assumed to be the leader stuck a sheet of paper in Kyohsi's face. His large biceps tensed as he spoke gruffly, "Have you seen this girl?"

Scrawled across the paper was a mediocre drawing of a tall, young woman with long tawny hair and a matching headband to those of the eel hound riders. _Ai Emi._

"Why do you need to know?" Kyoshi huffed, the thought of the girl irked her nerves. She was annoying, pushy, and started the fight that blew up Kyoshi's family.

"We need to bring her home. She has escaped the confinements of our prison," one of the women to the right announced.

_I knew there was something off about her,_ Kyoshi thought to herself, and without hesitation proclaimed, "There is a village southeast of here in the area of a Ba Sing Se mine. She should be staying with the village healer."

A devious grin wriggled its way into the leaders grin as he retracted the wanted poster. "Thank you kindly, my dear." He chuckled. "We will put her in her place soon enough."

"Anything to capture an escaped fugitive," Kyoshi agreed.

The woman who had spoken previously added, "She may not seem so dangerous on the outside, but believe me, damage has been done. Here's something for the assistance." She flung a small sack at Kyoshi, and when it was caught, jingled with the familiar sound of money. Kyoshi opened it to see it loaded with silver pieces, and before she could respond, the strangers rode off to the direction of Harach.

Kyoshi helped her mother to her feet, a pang of guilt pestering her, and not because she ratted Ai Emi out. No, any dangerous criminal should be put away, for justice comes first. Kyoshi rather felt guilty for putting such a danger in Kariki's home. The little old village healer didn't deserve to be put in harm's way, and it was Kyoshi's fault that Ai Emi now resides under her roof, though the fire nation teen didn't seem so dangerous before…

Kyoshi had the sudden urge to go back to Harach to find Kariki and help the eel hound riders capture the prisoner, but by the time Kyoshi would arrive, the riders should be already on their way home. She would simply have to hope that things would go down safely enough for Kariki. Right now, Kyoshi needed to take care of her mother and deliver her to Ba Sing Se safely at the very least.

"Let's go," Kyoshi reassured her mother who held a tentative expression, and they climbed back onto their ostrich horses, Ba Sing Se on the horizon. The break of dawn would arrive soon, and the dawn of a new day it would be.

**A/N: Sorry this took so long! I'm going to try to get back into the swing of things but I've been busy and lost a bit of interest when some super awesome video games fell into my clutches. XD I know this story's been a bit slow but I need a little exposition like the actual series started. It should pick up soon. Please let me know what you think! I'm a bit unsure at this point and some feedback/constructive criticism should help. And to those who have liked my FB page, thanks so much! **


	5. Chapter 5

Book One: Fortitude

Chapter Five: An Overrated City

The city wall was shaded the color of pinkish-orange as the morning sun rose gradually. Kyoshi led her mother up to one of the larger outer gates of the great wall with Kaiju tottering behind. A handful of earthbenders stood guard, ready to open the gates for any unsuspicious passersby. The Earth Kingdom was relatively peaceful at this time. The only sort of violence ever heard of was normal criminal activity which could be handled swiftly and effectively by authorities. The guards acknowledged the two women and they approached and one of them said, "Good morning ladies. Come to visit Ba Sing Se? Or are you planning on keeping a permanent residence?"

"We are looking to stay a little while at least," Kyoshi said. "Somewhere rather affordable."

"We have plenty of inns in the Middle Ring that may suit you nicely. Most of them are around four silver pieces pieces a night with free breakfast! Also, there is a stable in which you can rent a stall for one silver piece a week. You must need a place for your ostrich horses." the guard cheered.

Kyoshi frowned, and glancing at her mother, realized that they weren't sure how long they would be staying or what sort of job they would find to payoff their stay.

Lin Shay spoke this time, "Let's start a bit smaller. We might be here for a while, and four silver pieces a night will deplete our money rather quickly."

The guard nodded rapidly causing his shaggy beard to jostle around wildly. "Of course! One of our finest advisors will lead you to a nice place in the Lower Ring." The guard grew a firmer expression on his face as he turned to his companions and nodded. Then he cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled to more standing at the top of the gate, "Open the gate!" A large shutter rocked the earth and a gap appeared in the wall. With much strain, the team of guards pulled the great stone slabs that were fitted between the outer crusts of the wall until a large opening gaped at Kyoshi. A petite female guard motioned for the women to follow until. The sight was magnificent; great expanses of growing crops blew in a gentle, welcoming breeze, and a large monorail towered above them, low enough to be concealed by the wall but tall enough so not to interfere with the vast farmlands. Kyoshi and Lin Shay followed the small guard until she motioned for them to stop. Next, she planted her tiny feet into the ground and twisted her body until a large circle was cut into the stone below them. With a grunt and a flash of her teeth, the woman lifted them into the air until they were level with the monorail station. The move reminded Kyoshi of a rock-jack exercise, and she swallowed nervously at the thought.

"There you are," the small guard huffed, and before Kyoshi could thank her, she was already making her way back the post, scrambling to get back outside before the massive gate slammed shut. Over the grinding of the stone closing, another women, more formally dressed called out to the newcomers and waved overenthusiastically.

"Welcome! Welcome! You made it just in time! The monorail is ready to embark on the first trip to the Lower Ring in a few minutes. Please, put all animals in the last car to keep our passenger cars cleanly. Oh, and my name is Joo Dee," the attendant said, pouring out the information as if she had done the spiel many times prior.

Kyoshi and Lin Shay obeyed, leading their mounts to the back of the four-car train. Kyoshi tied the ostrich horses to a metal bar and placed Kaiju close to them. "I'll be back soon," she cooed, "so please stay out of trouble." The shirshu scratched at her nose and whimpered in protest. Other animals in the car were mostly mounts of some sort, so hopefully nothing should tip the little imp off. Kyoshi quickly exited the car and slammed the door shut; a pathetic thumping noise could be heard from the other side.

Joo Dee lead Kyoshi and her mother into the third car where they sat by some unsettling strangers. A rather large, grimy man sat in the way back chewing on a pineapple, and a scrawny woman sat on the other side of Kyoshi and her mother, fiddling with her fingernails, eyes darting side to side. Kyoshi only focused her attention on Joo Dee, waiting for further instructions. The attendant stood in the middle of the car, poised and perfect. Moments later, the monorail jittered to a start, and glancing out the window, Kyoshi gasped as more farm expansions came into view.

"Yes, yes! My newcomers, this car is set aside just for you so I can inform you and all of Ba Sing Se's infrastructure and culture! The outer wall leads directly to our Agrarian Zone and if you look off to your left, Lake Laogai can be seen on the horizon."

Kyoshi admired the patchwork of crops nearly ready to provide thousands of resident their food, and just off to the left where Joo Dee had mentioned, she could see a patch of blue reflecting the sky above. The monorail began to slow a bit and Joo Dee, "Here we are approaching our first stop! The Lower Ring exhibits many hardworking citizens who are of a slightly lower social class than the Middle Ring. If you look ahead, the first inner wall which separates the Lower Ring and the Agrarian Zones is approaching. All residents, including farmers, live within the Inner Wall. I am required to lead you all off of the monorail now. If any of you can afford to pay four silver pieces a night for three months, you may stay on the monorail and it will lead you to the Middle Ring. For now, all of you need special permission to visit the Upper Ring. Anyone staying to visit the Middle Ring?"

No one answered the woman and within seconds she cheered, "Okay! Let's go then."

The passengers of the third car wandered off, and Lin Shay went to retrieve their animals. As she slid the car door open, a flash of brown fur scrambled to Kyoshi's side. The earthbender hoisted her pet into her arms and said, "Sheesh Kaiju, you're getting heavier." The shirshu only wagged her tail rapidly.

Once Kyoshi's mother joined them, Joo Dee began to lead them off of the platform; a trio of guards stood waiting to lower them down until the circle of earth was level, just like the previous one, but this time, one of the benders assisted them, carrying a long spear. A strong smell of trash and decay flooded Kyoshi's nose, and Kaiju wriggled unhappily in her arms, clawing at her wispy, pink nose; the stench was too much for the animal.

Joo Dee, seeing the wrinkled noses of her guests said, "Do not worry! You will get used to the scent rather quickly. It's just a little crowded in certain areas of the Lower Ring, and more people means more trash and waste."

They walked along broken-down shacks covered in chipped, deep green shingles. Not many people were found in the streets, and those who braved it were mostly merchants, selling old-looking fruit, vegetables, and meat with spider flies buzzing around. Some of the merchants even held large machetes, a warning expression sprawled across their faces.

The pineapple man finally spoke. "What's with the big knives?" his deep, _intelligent _voice boomed, setting his pineapple aside for a moment.

Joo Dee was hesitant, but then responded, "I'm sure they are used for cutting food of course!"

"But a machete?" the nervous nail-biter chittered, her shaky voice shuddering her entire body frame.

"We have very strong-willed individuals in the Lower Ring, for they are the foundation of our city. I wouldn't be surprised to see them with a big knife," was all Joo Dee said. Kyoshi started to feel the pit of her stomach turn inside out, and not just because of the fumes. Something about the Lower Ring seemed really depressing, and the authorities of the city had to be aware. Joo Dee had to have been dodging the question, for her answer didn't make much sense. The definition of 'strong-willed' shouldn't incorporate the need for self defense at a fruit stand.

The group wandered on as Joo Dee did her daily routine of compensating the explanation of the Lower Ring with vague stories and facts. Basically, it was a wonderful, over-crowded slum full of strong-willed individuals who live a happy life in their broken-down shacks with extremely small wages, some of which are earned through force with a big knife, or at least that's what Kyoshi got out of the explanation. The attendant finally lead them to a slightly-taller shack with a splintery sign that read: _Mordav's Inn._ She said, "Here is one of the finest inn's in the Lower Ring, and Oh! I believe there is a few rooms open."

"How can you tell?" Kyoshi challenged.

"Oh I come around here a lot, and this inn usually has a few vacant rooms for five copper pieces a night," she chuckled.

_Probably because the daily wage is seven copper pieces for most jobs around here,_ Kyoshi thought, referring back to the multitude of facts Joo Dee had poured out of her pursed lips. The stuffy attendant pointed to a small stable off to the left, the sudden movement causing her earrings to swing back and forth. "And over there is the stable for your ostrich horses! Rent is free with the exception of required maintenance. If everyone does their part, everything will stay organized!"

Lin Shay and Kyoshi led their mounts to the stable, which happened to be empty. Kyoshi's mother muttered, "I guess we'll be doing all of the cleaning."

Joo Dee peeked around the corner and added, "Oh and feed is your responsibility as well. Nothing is ever truly free, am I right?" The woman snickered at her own joke and strolled away. Rolling her eyes, Kyoshi led her mother to the entrance of the Inn where the rest had assembled.

"Okay!" Joo Dee said, "If this place is too expensive or unpreferred I can take you to another inn."

"We'll stay," Lin Shay replied and the pineapple guy had the same idea.

The nail biter asked to be taken somewhere cheaper in which Joo Dee chirped, "Of course! If you other three ever need my assistance again, just ask the innkeeper." She then added something a bit quieter, a small amount of melancholy in her voice, "Best of luck to you."

Before anyone could leave, the innkeeper shouted, "NO PETS!" His eyes rested on Kaiju.

Kyoshi frowned, noticing the little shirshu sniff around the room, tail wagging curiously. She demanded, "Kaiju stays with me, or we take our business elsewhere. She won't be any trouble."

With the threat at losing money, the scruffy man snapped, "Fine, but any trouble you'll be paying for the clean up."

Finally left to their own devices, Kyoshi and Lin Shay gathered the key to their room. The inn was rather run-down, but mostly clean. The floor creaked and the walls were cracked, but everything was intact. The halls were a little too dim, but the doors had locks. It was manageable. The women and the shirshu entered the room with a number '4' etched in the door. Once they were inside, they found that the room wasn't all that terrible either. The pair of beds were a squeaky, but the bedding was clean. The entire room was stuffy but Kaiju still sniffed over every inch appreciatively, for she could sense that something was a bit _safer_ about the place without Kyoshi's father rampaging around. At least he never actually found Kaiju.

Kyoshi placed her satchel on the bed, sighed, and face planted into the mattress. Her mother took a seat at the edge of the other bed, and said, "Kyoshi, do you realize what day it is?"

Kyoshi thought hard, and with her lips mushed in the blankets muttered, "No."

"Why, it's your sixteenth birthday!"

Kyoshi looked up from the bed, rather surprised that she had completely forgotten about her own day of birth. "Oh," she stated nonchalantly.

"And there's something else…"

Kyoshi paused, waiting for her mother to finish, when the sound of shattering glass interrupted the two women. Kyoshi dashed over to the window and peered through the glass. Literally feet from the window stood a mugger with a broken bottle in his hand. Below him lied an unconscious man with a long, bloody laceration on his forehead. Kyoshi wasted no time running from the inn to the alley in which her window looked into, Kaiju on her heels. The robber was caught mid-act as he shuffled through the unconscious guy's things. The teen's heart was nearly in her throat as the shocking thought of the fact that she was dealing with a dangerous stranger wriggled its way into her mind. This man wasn't her father; he was unpredictable and underwhelmed at the sight of a young female with a baby shirshu confronting him, the only threatening thing being her balled fists.

"What do you want, little girl?" he chuckled.

Kyoshi ground her teeth together, yet his scratchy voice only sharpened the edge she was already on. The man got up from his crouch and stood, his thick neck tightening as his mouth formed a twisted smile. Out of the corner of her eye, Kyoshi saw two other figures emerge from the shadows of the building. They must have been backup in case the mugging didn't go as they had planned. Three times its original size, the fear inside of Kyoshi was blinding as she thought of how stupid she was, and the fact that she was afraid _and_ ignorant made her angry. The emotions began to jumble and intertwine within each other, forming one big regret.

The three men began to close in on the teen. Kaiju snarled and lashed out her tongue at the massive trio, but they easily dodged her. In a split-second choice, Kyoshi launched herself upward with her earthbending and clawed for the gutter of the two-story building. Her grip was successful, but the weak metal provided no mercy; with a metallic groan, the gutter gave way and Kyoshi plummeted into the arms of the men below. Amidst the struggle, something struck Kyoshi across the back of the head, and all went dark.

The next time Kyoshi saw daylight was through a tiny window in the darkness of her vision. She squinted, the stray beam of light shining directly on her face, its ounce of warmth trying to beckon her from her into consciousness. A tiny groan escaped her lips as a throbbing gradually pronounced itself more and more in the back of her head. The noise was muffled by a cloth wound around her mouth. She fought the urge to fall back to sleep's gentle grip while attempting to take in her surroundings. The ground beneath her was a cool, firm dirt, but her hands and feet were bound tightly in chains that connected to the floor, making bending extremely difficult, if not impossible. The room must have been some sort of basement or cellar, for it was cold, musty, and the small window wasn't actually a window; it was a door leading outside, sunlight peeking through the crack. Something behind her moved, pushing against her back.

Startled, Kyoshi painfully cranked her neck to see what was attacking, but found it to be the young man that had been beaten in the alley. He, too, was chained and gagged. Kyoshi could barely make out a startled glint in his shadowed, hazy eyes as he realized the situation. They stared at each other for a while, trying to overcome the shock of being kidnapped. Suddenly, the young man tried to utter something through the gag, though it was gibberish to Kyoshi.

"All uvor!" He mumbled.

Kyoshi's eyebrows narrowed.

"El Ever!"

She shook her head this time.

"Rull Ovar!"

She thought hard, and then it came to her. _Roll over, but what for? _She thought, though decided to trust. Kyoshi rolled onto her other side, and the guy did the same. She sat still as he scooted himself so that his bound hands could barely grasp the knot of her gag. His strained fingers worked and worked for almost a quarter of an hour until the fabric loosened a bit, and from there, the cloth fell from the earthbender's mouth. Kyoshi breathed deeply, and coughed a bit, for a musty, sour taste embedded itself in her taste buds.

She rolled over, trying to make eye contact with his shadowed face as she whispered, "Thank you."

He nodded, and rolled over, wanting her to do the same. Kyoshi fumbled with the gag as the metal cuffs dug into her wrists. She worked through the discomfort as she realized that he probably had the same trouble. Her heart thumped in her throat as the minutes ticked away. If someone barged in on her while her gag was removed, their captors would know they have tried to escape, yet she kept on. Nearly half an hour passed before the knot finally loosened and they rolled to face each other.

"Sorry that took an age," Kyoshi huffed, her fingers and wrists throbbing with each heartbeat, for the pulse had not slowed since she attempted to remove his gag. The thought of being caught still stressed her, but they had to do something.

"It's okay," he murmured. "Now what?"

"What do you mean? I thought you had a plan!" Kyoshi huffed, his lack of planning adding to her stress.

"Nope."

Kyoshi frowned and thought hard, making her headache worse. "If we don't get out of here soon, someone will find us gagless and then what? It could really anger those crooks." Kyoshi knew from personal experience that some men could really be short-tempered. She searched for any sign of help, and squinting into the black, saw a tiny reflection of light. It was the large metal stake that held their chains to the floor. She swung her feet over, pointing them at the stake and grumbled, "If I could just- EH!" She slammed her bound feet into the dirt, making a small crack in the earth.

"You can bend? That's great!" the young man huffed.

"Yep," Kyoshi stated, as she repeated the action over and over until a sloppy crack interfered with the area surrounding the stake. Once it was fairly loose, they both pulled until the the metal spike was free. The pair pondered what to do next. Their actions were dangerous, but this escape attempt could be their only chance. The earthbender wriggled around until the spike was reachable.

The other youth examined it and said, "I think I could maybe use it to pick the locks at your cuffs."

Kyoshi nodded, and the both rolled over. The young man picked at the lock for a much longer time than had fiddled with the gags, and his sore hands were not cooperating well.

"Can you hurry?" Kyoshi grumbled, hiding her fear with irritation.

"No. This isn't quite that easy if you haven't noticed," he hissed back.

Moments later, the cellar door began to creak, letting in a surplus of sunlight, blinding them both. Kyoshi clenched her teeth, expecting the shadow within the oncoming light to become very, very angry that his captives weren't cooperating. The young man dropped the stake, realizing his fidgeting was futile, however, the tall, slender shadow within the light wasn't one of the captives at all.

"You've got to be kidding me!" A familiar voice called. Ai Emi made her way over to the pathetic teens lying in the dust and freed them with a pair of keys.


End file.
